thejoyofsobe

Harley Lover, lead time is going to be variable and unpredictable due to chip and supply shortages. I put my order in on an Escape PHEV the first week of January thinking the wait might be 3-4 months like the people who ordered last fall. However, I was told a month later than lead times could now be up to a year. That projected lead time of course is subject to change too lol. If you're sold on the Escape PHEV I think you should consider finding a dealership that will let you put a refundable deposit on a factory order and put the order in now. My dealer hasn't even cashed the deposit check. At worst, when it arrives you decide it's not the right time to buy a car or just this car and get a refund. The dealer's not going to care because they get an extra car to sell above their allocation.

For some consumers that assessment is rooted in truth. People who don't regularly make long drives have unfounded range anxiety about BEVs but it's also true that for long, multi-day road trips the batteries and the infrastructure have not progressed to a level where finding an open, working charger and then still waiting around a couple hours is not a major inconvenience. Plus a lot of national parks are pretty remote with even fewer charging options and given the demographic of visitors more competition for spots. Like akirby said, at least 5 years for solid state batteries and fast-charging infrastructure to make road trips convenient again. Imagine the nightmare Christmas/Thanksgiving traffic or hurricane evacuation would be right now if all of the cars on the road were a BEV. For most people who have a place to plug in a vehicle at home, PHEVs today make the most sense from a purchase cost, fuel cost, maintenance cost and convenience perspective. But if you really, really want a BEV then get one and rent an ICE vehicle for national parks road trips.